It was yet another working day and now, the forced honeymoon between Blake and Rose had co to an end. Their life transitioned back toward routines and rhythms. Their whirlwind romance and passionate monts had settled into sothing steadier, though no less devoted.
Rose's company rebuild had finally reached completion after the devastating fire several days prior.
The first week back at the newly reconstructed Shelley-Tech company had been a whirlwind of activity and excitent. Rose couldn't help but bask in the energized buzz that seed to perate every inch of the sleek, modern workspace. Everywhere she looked, her employees were collaborating, innovating, pushing boundaries in a way she'd only dread of before.
And of course, having Blake by her side made it all the sweeter.
More than once, she caught his gaze from across the bullpen area, felt her knees go weak at the smoldering look he flashed her. His silent mouthing of "later" laced with the arched brow and wicked smirk that promised all manner of deliciously unprofessional activities to co.
Truthfully, Rose was anticipating the many tis they'd sneak away to one of the secluded "relaxation pods" she'd had designed for just such trysts. The sumptuous lounges and bedrooms tucked away discreetly behind frosted glass will be their new favorite perk of the revamped office space.
If only she could bask in that glow forever instead of the harsh reality that will soon co crashing down.
***
One morning, Rose strode through the sipping her macchiato and ntally preparing for the day ahead. She was early - as usual - expecting to have so quiet ti before the rest of her staff trickled in. Blake had yet to co in although he called that he would soon be on his way.
The second she stepped off the elevator, though, she knew sothing was amiss.
Raucous shouts and commotion echoed from the main floor, the sound of dozens of voices clamoring over each other in apparent chaos. Frowning, Rose quickened her step until she was t by a scene of utter pandemonium.
Employees were clustered in knotted groups, jabbing phones in each other's faces as they watched footage flickering across the screens. The air was thick with shouts of anger, gasps of shock and horror, demands for answers and accountability.
"What in the hell..." Rose muttered under her breath, pushing through the throngs in search of soone - anyone - who could provide an explanation.
She finally managed to flag down Lucy, her flustered executive staff looking more rattled than Rose had ever seen her.
"Lucy! What's going on here?" Rose demanded. "Why is everyone in such an uproar?"
The petite blonde dragged a shaky hand through her platinum curls, looking like she was about three sips of mimosa away from a ltdown.
"I...I'm not totally sure, Ms. Shelley" she stamred, voice becoming increasingly high-pitched. "All I know is everyone started getting these, like...video ssages on their phones this morning!"
"Video ssages?" Rose pressed, arching an eyebrow. "What kind of video ss--"
The words died in her throat as Lucy turned her phone toward Rose with a trembling hand. Footage was playing on the screen - security cam video of what looked like examination rooms bathed in harsh fluorescent lighting.
In the middle of one of the rooms, a young man lay strapped to a table, electrodes and IV lines twisted around his body. Despite being unconscious and pallid, Rose could see his brows creased in a haunting rictus of agony even in repose.
Suddenly, the image cut away to a new angle - this ti, a birds-eye overhead view that captured the entire examination area. Hunched figures in white lab coats scurried around the prone young man, attaching wires and adjusting dials on ominous-looking machines that looked like they belonged on a 20th century sci-fi film set.
One of the technicians stepped back and Rose felt her blood turn to ice in her veins.
Anger and revulsion roiled through her like molten lava as the mories ca flooding back - the rumors and whispers that had followed her family na like a dark cloud, the depraved acts of human experintation conducted in secret by power-mad beings.
With a muted shriek, Lucy was quickly swiping through to different clips - equally as disturbing if not more so. Test subjects strapped into nightmarish restraints, eyes rolled back in their heads as they underwent unspeakable procedures.
Lifeless bodies covered in scars, electrical burns, hastily-stitched incisions that looked like they'd been perford in a back-alley rather than a clinical setting.
Lucy was growing greener by the second and Rose reached out to steady the phone before she dropped it. "Where...where did these videos co from?" She asked in a low, dangerous tone though dreading the answer.
Lucy swallowed hard. "They were sent out early this morning from an encrypted email with instructions for everyone to watch them imdiately. T-they're already going viral on social dia."
She gestured at the chaotic mishmash all around them, the officewide panic unfolding in real-ti as every Shelley-Tech staffer bore first-hand witness to the atrocities of the past...
The blood drained from Rose's face.
"But...who would send sothing like this?" She rasped, recoiling from the phone's screen like it was poison.
"No idea!" Lucy threw up her hands. "I haven't been able to trace the original email or link it to a source. All we know is these videos are from decades ago based on the dated security feeds and--"
"Heads up, people!" A booming voice cut through the din, bringing the frenzied activity to a montary lull.
Jake the burly head of security, was striding through the middle of the throngs with his usual expression of steely determination etched onto his weathered features.
"Listen up!" He barked. "I want every single person to go through decontamination protocols right goddamn now until we get a handle on what the fuck is going on!"
Rose stepped forward, instincts shifting into a practiced crisis managent mode even if her insides felt hollow and utterly shattered. She cleared her throat, waiting for the silence.
"Jake is right. This is clearly so kind of very coordinated and intentional attack ant to undermine everything we've built here."
Her eyes narrowed to narrow slits as she punctuated the last sentence, arms crossed over her chest as she glared around the crowd.
"And I'll be damned if I'm going to let that happen. Lucy, lock everything down - disable external servers, shore up our firewalls, get IT working overti to sniff out any other breaches."
Lucy nodded ekly, looking relieved to have marching orders instead of idly spinning in panic. Rose whirled toward the rest of the assembled, wide-eyed staffers gaping at her.
"As for the rest of you, you heard Jake. I want full decontamination procedures initiated until we can be certain this facility hasn't been compromised. No one is to leave until we determine the origin and potential danger posed by these videos."
A chorus of dismayed groans rippled through the crowd, but Rose silenced them with a single, piercing look.
"We're under attack, people," she said, quiet but emphatic. "Which ans from here on out, we go to war."
With that sobering decree, she turned on her heel and headed toward the nearest stairwell, gesturing for Jake to follow.
They needed to get to her private bunker suite and scramble a response team imdiately before this situation spiraled further out of control...
************
*Author's note*
Big big shout out to all my supporting fans!
I really appreciate the support thus far.
I was thinking of doing sothing new.
The book needs a special push at this point and I'm sharing my plans with all of you.
My goal now or should I say our goal is to be within the trending rankings. I can't do that of course with your help.
So here's my thought;
If maybe I could get 1 magic castle, I would very much appreciate it and in return, I'll do a mass release! This is of course a plea.
So the deal would be;
1 magic castle - 7 bonus chapters!
Let know your thoughts under the comnts.
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